The most serious obstacle to reducing troops is that Afghanistan will not continue to make progress toward President Obama's objectives without our military there in large numbers to encourage and enforce gains. Our strategy hinges on three things: (1) Afghan security forces doing the work now undertaken by coalition forces; (2) a legitimate Afghan government; and (3) Pakistan drying up terrorist safe havens. All of these will certainly take more time than the president’s original July 2011 deadline -- all three will likely take longer than the 2014 timeline established in this third Afghan strategy review.
Continue reading Kori Schake at The New York Times’ Room for Debate…
